My overall impression
Having read the play beforehand, I feel this show overall looks better on the page than it does on stage. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy many of the artistic touches, such as using white christmas light strings to represent the plant vines and isolated lighting that the actors could access and use when needed. Also having the music of Bjork as the main soundtrack was a brilliant choice as it set a great tone and mood for the show. However, I felt some of the transitions from one scene to the next were messy and confusing. It should be made clear the purpose of a character leaving and/ or returning to the stage and why. I felt some of that got lost as the music and lighting seemed to be more important at times.
To me, Joanna Bateman as Alice was the standout of the show. I auditioned and made callbacks for this role, but obviously lost and I can’t deny that I was curious to see the actress who won the part. And I very much see why Joanna got cast. She did not disappoint. She gave Alice a slightly manic, panicky energy that made her mesmerizing to watch. Even with two other characters on stage, Alice is the main one. I feel “Odessa” is her story; she is supposed to be the standout and Joanna nailed it.
Bruce A. Lemon Jr did a wonderful job as Cliff. I loved the chemistry between his character and Alice. I believed they had a history and truly had been stuck in that bunker for a long time. Bruce played Cliff almost exactly how I had read that character- a strong man who does care about Alice, but ultimately cares more about keeping himself alive. He’s emotionally distant but not cold. Dominating but not cruel. It’s a tightrope walk and Bruce found the perfect balance.
The biggest disappointment was Bethany Esfandiari as Preacher. With that said, I am in no way knocking her as an actress; I just feel she was miscast in this role. I get casting Preacher as a short but scrappy woman (I would have gone the other direction with that and have her be almost as tall as Cliff, but that’s just me). Preacher also exudes tons of masculine energy, and while Bethany did bring some of it, it wasn’t enough. I almost feel like her lack of height worked against her for this role. I had a hard time believing she was beating up and overpowering Cliff, even when he was weakened from the conditions outside the bunker. While Preacher is not the main character, I expected more from her.
This show really seems to hinder on having a strong Alice. Since the right actress was cast for that role, it made the play worth watching. Overall, it’s a good show; just expected a little bit more from it.
